Bloody Jack

Grades 6-8.  In L.A. Meyer's novel, Bloody Jack (Harcourt, 2004),  Mary "Jacky" Faber transforms herself into Bloody Jack Faber to escape her life in Dickensian London.  Orphaned on "The Dark Day" her parents were killed by "pestilence," young Mary survives on the streets, scrounging just enough to get by.  In search of a better life, Mary disguises herself as a boy and seeks out a job as a ship's boy on a naval vessel on its way to South America after French pirates.  All Mary is looking for is a square meal and a roof over her head, but she winds up with a lot more.  Part Treasure Island, part Twelfth Night, and a dash of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Jacky faces not only pirates and scalawags, but also her first period.  At times Jacky's narrative in 'mockney' is a little cumbersome, and may be challenging for some readers, but at it's best it adds playfulness to the character.  Full of fun and adventure, this book also alludes to very some very adult themes.  Overall, Mary "Jacky" Faber will appeal to both boys and girls, just as she is able to slip between the genders with artful costumes. And if you can't get enough of this saucy, sea-faring lass, she continues her adventures in a series of eight further books (so far!).  Recommended, ***

The Last Brother

Grades 3-6 The Tales of Young Americans Series seeks to empower and engage young readers by demonstrating how children have been crucial actors in American history. Trinka Hakes Noble does just this in her contribution to the series, The Last Brother: A Civil War Tale (Sleeping Bear Press, 2006). Our young hero is Gabe, an eleven-year old bugler for the Union Army in Gettysburg on the infamous days of July 1-4, 1863. He has already lost two brothers to the war effort, and fears for his brother Davy who is fighting in his regiment. Noble's writing, along with the heroic illustrations painted by Robert Papp, empathetically captures an authentic feeling character in an incredible situation.  Papp paints much in the style of Caspar David Friedrich's romantic paintings, using realistic figures and majestic backgrounds.  Following the mission of the series, Gabe is able to play a significant, though realistic role in a monumental moment in American history. Gabe's story is both believable and personal. Noble also effectively captures the gray areas in the "Brother vs. Brother" mantra of the Civil War. Overall, an empathetic and captivating piece of illustrated historical fiction. Recommended, ***1/2

The Big Box

Grades 1-4 Toni Morrison and son, Slade Morrison, bring us a moralistic rhyming children's book with The Big Box (Hyperion, 1999). The joke is on the adults, however, as they are to learn the ultimate lesson. The story opens with three kids living in a joyful, adult-free world filled with things that kids love-- ice cream, bean-bag chairs, bunk beds, and swing sets, all inside one room (a big brown box)! Adults are only allowed once a week, and when they come, they bring wonderful presents. Within pages we discover that this wonder-room isn't quite what it seems. Our three heroes have been placed there by adults who love them because they have proven that they can't "handle their freedom." The angular, water-colored illustrations by Giselle Potter follow the children as they break rules at school, at home, and in the greater world. The adults in their lives, fearing they will not be equipped for life in the adult world impose limited freedom in the big, brown box. Toni and Slade create sympathetic characters that make us question how we treat children for the sake of "their own good." The illustrations are a bit jarring, though they lend to the surreal aspects of the story. Overall a thought-provoking and musical read-aloud. Recommended, ***

Chains

Grades 6-8.  Laurie Halse Anderson tells a different sort of coming-of-age story with her novel Chains (Athenium, 2008).

 Anderson follows Isabel, a young slave born with a kind and liberal master in Rhode Island but sold to cruel New York Loyalists at the height of America's War of Independence.  Through Isabel, Anderson explores the ambiguity of "freedom" on both sides of the war; she encounters Patriots who cry for freedom but are not willing to treat slaves as anything other than property, and Loyalists willing to free slaves, but only for the sake of harming the Patriot's cause.  Anderson's historical fiction is meticulously researched, she includes quotes from primary documents thematically as the header of each chapter and has a well cited list of historical questions in her final author's note.  History teachers will appreciate the possibility to use this book as a teaching tool both in content and in method.  Anderson offers a unique slave tale far away from the normal Civil War story and paints a complicated and rich story of American ideology that should raise stimulating questions in advanced readers minds. Highly Recommended, *****

James Sturm's America

Grades 9-12 Graphic novelist James Sturm takes us through an outsider's journey in American history in James Sturm's America: God, Gold, and Golems.  This history is told in three main sections, the first a family making a wagon-covered journey to a Christian revivalist meeting during the Second Great Awakening, the second follows a rag tag group of miners in a squalid mining camp wrought with violence, and finally, we find a (mostly) Jewish minor-league baseball team eking out a living by heightening their strangeness to rural America.  Though at times requiring a mature reader with background knowledge, this history is wonderful in that it tells lesser-known narratives in a compassionate and reader-friendly way.  The reader can sympathize with a family torn apart by the migratory forces in America, Chinese American miners denied their basic rights, and Jewish Americans (far away, for once, from the legacy of the Holocaust) encountering small American towns with myths as thick as German hamlets.  The illustrations and shading are gripping, and text clear and easy to read.  Done entirely in black and white inking, Sturm beautifully captures raw emotion with his figures, as well as depicting historical scenes and characters in an attractive, though sometimes haunting, and engaging way.  This is a history of outsiders, and a great addition to a graphic novel collection.  Recommended ****

Me, Frida

Grades 1-4 In Me, Frida (Abrams, 2010), Amy Novesky tells the tale of Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, on a trip to San Francisco in 1931. Rivera has received a commission to paint one of his infamous labor murals, and Frida feels overlooked and small next to her "elephant" of a husband (large in fame and in stature). Novesky's text is joined with breathtaking artwork by Caldecott Award winner David Diaz. Diaz's artwork nods to both Rivera's and Kahlo's styles, while adding his own take to the sites of San Francisco in dripping paint rich in color. His artwork truly carries the story, as the plot is quite detached from childrens' interests or experiences. The richly colored illustrations and highly stylized San Francisco skyline will be a great building-off point for conversations and projects, though the text alone leaves something to be desired. Though Frida's story may be more interesting to older readers and adults, the illustrations will please everybody. Additional Selection, **1/2

Rosemary Well's Twinkling Star

Recommended for Birth to 4. The bunnies are back! Rosemary Wells, the fabulous creator of the Max and Ruby books has created another lovely addition to her nursery collection with the boardbook Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (Scholastic, 2006). She illustrates a classic nursery song but offers a lovely lesser-known verse and combines it with rich illustrations of bedtime rituals. The night sky is richly illusrated  in deep hues and blues, making her bunny family stand out in comforting comparison, safe inside their home.  Accompanying each page, Wells includes star chart constellations that will be interesting for parents and older siblings alike. Wells uses familiar figures and familiar rhymes to create an overall cozy nighttime read-aloud that can be enjoyed over and over again. Recommended, ****